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Estonian court sentences anti-NATO party leaders for aiding Russia
(MENAFN) An Estonian court has imposed long prison terms on leaders of a small anti-NATO political party, finding them guilty of actions aimed at undermining national security on behalf of Russia.
On Thursday, the Harju District Court sentenced Aivo Peterson, co-founder of the conservative Koos party, to 14 years in prison for treason. His associates Dmitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov received sentences of 11 years and 11 years and six months, respectively. All three have denied wrongdoing and plan to appeal the decision.
Prosecutors argued that the defendants promoted “narratives supporting Russia’s foreign and security policy” with the goal of eroding public trust in NATO and Estonia’s military support for Ukraine.
“The defendants deliberately assisted Russia in activities directed against the Estonian state and society,” State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said.
Founded in 2022, Koos advocates for Estonia to leave NATO, adopt a neutral stance, remove foreign troops, and “refrain from participating directly or indirectly in military conflicts between other countries.”
In 2023, Peterson visited Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, which Estonia considers occupied Ukrainian territory, claiming he was gathering information about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“There are two sides to every conflict, but the information we receive from Estonian media is one-sided. All of our journalists support Kiev, which often comes across as propaganda,” Peterson stated at the time.
The Koos party rejected the charges, insisting that prosecutors failed to provide “concrete proof that their actions had caused real damage to Estonia’s constitutional order or security.”
Estonia is among Ukraine’s strongest European supporters and has advocated for further militarization in the region. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Estonia as “one of the most hostile countries” and accused Tallinn of “spreading myths and falsehoods about the supposed threat from the East.”
On Thursday, the Harju District Court sentenced Aivo Peterson, co-founder of the conservative Koos party, to 14 years in prison for treason. His associates Dmitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov received sentences of 11 years and 11 years and six months, respectively. All three have denied wrongdoing and plan to appeal the decision.
Prosecutors argued that the defendants promoted “narratives supporting Russia’s foreign and security policy” with the goal of eroding public trust in NATO and Estonia’s military support for Ukraine.
“The defendants deliberately assisted Russia in activities directed against the Estonian state and society,” State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said.
Founded in 2022, Koos advocates for Estonia to leave NATO, adopt a neutral stance, remove foreign troops, and “refrain from participating directly or indirectly in military conflicts between other countries.”
In 2023, Peterson visited Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, which Estonia considers occupied Ukrainian territory, claiming he was gathering information about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“There are two sides to every conflict, but the information we receive from Estonian media is one-sided. All of our journalists support Kiev, which often comes across as propaganda,” Peterson stated at the time.
The Koos party rejected the charges, insisting that prosecutors failed to provide “concrete proof that their actions had caused real damage to Estonia’s constitutional order or security.”
Estonia is among Ukraine’s strongest European supporters and has advocated for further militarization in the region. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Estonia as “one of the most hostile countries” and accused Tallinn of “spreading myths and falsehoods about the supposed threat from the East.”
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